The Triplex
by Captain Crusts
Summary: The team participate in a training exercise to build their team skills, but some have secrets they would rather hide. Their personalities, even the ones they hide, will be revealed. First fic. Disclaimer: I own nothing.
1. Megan

**So, this is my first story, and it is in the Young Justice fandom. This is based on a prompt I saw, and I thought of making it into a multichapter fic. I must warn you; I am not going to be able to post until next weekend because of a summer program. Enjoy reading and please leave a review!**

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Mental simulation was always tiring, if not physically. Every team member remembered the last time, and it took a week to convince them to try it again, without the destined failure. Black Canary nervously paced around the teens. "This is not like the last simulation. This is a teambuilding exercise, built to reveal your deeper personalities."

Robin's teeth clenched. Batman had told him about the purpose and process. He knew that the team were going to be scared, or shocked, or worse, pitying. Bruce offered to let him skip it, but he reasoned it'd be suspicious if he did, and they would eventually discover something anyway. Dick figured he could somewhat control this.

They closed the eyes, and their world fell apart and rearranged itself.

~Crusty~

They seemed to be in an odd, softly glowing chamber of violet and blue hues. The floor was black marble, cool even through their boots. Their weapons were still on them somehow; Robin subtly held a batarang as Artemis notched her bow.

Megan was first. She slowly walked to the slowly pulsing red circle in the center of the room. He eyes closed as three projections gleamed into existence.

The first was a large, terrifying white monster that looked carefully at each member. The second was a regular human being it seemed; she wore a cheerleading uniform and had her brown hair up in high pigtails. Her smile was bright and carefree. The third was the one they knew. She had green skin and stood with her eyes glowing, ready for anything.

Robin instantly knew the last two sides. One was Megan's cheerful innocence, and the next was Miss Martian, a strong superheroine. None moved beyond where they were projected until the real Miss Martian opened her eyes, slowly, almost sleepily.

Those beautiful brown orbs widened in horror at seeing the White Martian. Her eyes found her team, frozen and curious. Tears appeared, but she refused to let them fall.

Robin stepped forward first. Seeing as his sides were entirely unpredictable, he wanted Megan to know it was okay. He laid a soft hand on her arm. "Hey, Miss M, who are your friends?"

The rest of the team slowly trickled forward, cautiously at first but then Wally decided she was Miss M regardless, and zoomed forward beside her. The rest relaxed and walked to her side as well.

The alien slowly walked to the large white thing taking up the most space. "This is my natural form. Mars treats us like second class citizens, so I escaped to Earth. I never intend on returning unless something changes," she said, eyes hard.

She crossed to the cheerleader and smiled. "This is my Earth personality. I'm a cheerleader, and I love meeting everyone." The cheerleader grinned happily as ever, and winked.

The last one was floating off the ground, and watching them vigilantly. "This is my superhero side. This is the one that wants to save everyone and is very protective of her friends."

The team nodded as she spoke. She looked nervously at them, wondering if she should have revealed so much. She didn't understand Earth customs, and they were all quiet. Did she say something wrong?

Kaldur, seeing Megan's confusion, stepped forward and gave her a small, though proud, smile. "Thank you for telling and trusting us with this Megan."

Her face lit up considerably and she hovered to the platform, dropping back down. Her chest rose with a deep breath, and she released it as her personalities flew back to her.

"Alright," she murmured, "who's next?"


	2. Wally

**Hey, guys. I really appreciate the reviews; I didn't think I'd get any, and then four! :D Thank you so much. I really appreciate the constructive criticism. Please, if you review, tell me who you would like to be next. Robin will be last, but you can choose between Superboy, Artemis, and Kaldur.**

**And again, thanks to my reviewers, after seeing 4 I had to write another chapter before I leave! Enjoy!**

Wally stood still for moments as everyone was silent. Each of his team members looked slightly scared to reveal who they were at their core. Wally knew he wasn't that complex; he liked to present his whole self everyday. His boots lightly scuffed the floor as he approached. Fear made his heart flutter, but he ignored it. He was the jester of the team, and he had to make them relax. He didn't like when his friends, family even, were nervous.

His steps were long and even, although his hand gave a slight tremble. He stepped into the center and his eyes closed.

Again, the projections flashed into life. The team observed each one with interest. Artemis took a step closer to them to look even closer.

Wally opened his emerald eyes and grinned at his personalities. They were all happy and laughing; the team didn't hesitate as they did before.

One was dressed casually in a crimson shirt and dark jeans. He was staring around the room in absolute amazement, and soon began muttering to himself about the scientific principles at power in the room. The next was also dressed casually. He held a wide grin and seemed eager to please. Soon he began making silly faces to make the teens laugh, although they only laughed because he was making fun of the real Wally. The third was dressed formally, with a rose in his hand. He bowed and gave a charming smile. Even Artemis had to admit this one was cute, hot even.

The team walked to him, allowing him to lead them to his personalities. He stepped to the first one and gave a shy smile. "This is the smart side, I guess you could say."

Robin gave a lazy grin, "Didn't know you had one."

"Oh, very funny," Wally rolled his eyes. "I'm a bit of a science and math genius. I skipped a grade or two early one, and then I got my powers by messing around with some chemicals during a lightening storm."

Kaldur looked sharply at Wally. "When was this, my friend?"

"Oh, well, I guess I was about 14 or 15." Wally shrugged. "I just didn't watch close enough, and boom! I was going at the speed of light."

Artemis smirked, "You just passed the sound barrier. You've got a ways to go."

He stuck his tongue out at her as he walked to the next one, who gave a wave. "I guess this is the funny side."

"All these sides we've never seen, it's breathtaking." Robin muttered, though with a gentle smirk.

"Don't make me hang you from the ceiling." Kid Flash quipped,"I don't like seeing people sad. I like to make people laugh, because it makes me feel good that I at least did something for one person that day. Laughter just makes everything better, and that's how I cope. I guess it ended up becoming my dominant trait, even as Kid Flash."

The team nodded and Superboy frowned. "Isn't there a clown in Gotham-"

"-that we really shouldn't talk about." Robin smoothly interjected. Wally looked slightly sick at being compared to a known psycho.

"Woah, Con, bit far there."

Conner gruffly apologized, and Wally waved it off.

"Anyway, this is the last side, I suppose. This must be my charming side."

"Girl obsessed, actually."

"Thanks." Wally groaned, and look curiously at the personality. "Yep. That's who I want to be. Why am I not already like that?"

Robin wrapped an arm around Wally's shoulders. "Let's face it, Kid Mouth, it's the hair. You're just ginger."

Wally knocked it playfully off and threatened to tackle Robin, who laughed and dared him.

Miss Martian stepped in, kindly shoving them apart. "Let's not try to destroy this place. I don't know if I could reassemble it and who knows what could happen?"

They instantly froze, remembering the last simulation, and Wally moved to the center. Robin sulked back to the team that stayed farther back, hiding behind Superboy's bulk. Just as before, the personalities disappeared and he joined his team.

Megan smiled at him and said, "Thank you for sharing that Wally. We appreciate you being open."

He gave a grin back, happy to know she was smiling and joked, "We needed a bit of light. It's too early to be depressed."

Robin almost chuckled before remembering his would be one of those depressing ones. He knew Superboy could hear his heartbeat, but he still took refuge behind him.

Wally looked at them all before gesturing to the platform. "It's wide open now."

**And here's to the reviewers of the first chapter:**

**Pikuni Kon: Thank you for the suggestion. I tried to use it; please tell me if it improved any! :)**

**lindz4567: Thank you for reviewing, and hopefully I can update soon.**

**numbuh13m: Well, there's your Kid Flash! I hope I didn't disappoint. I hope this update was quick enough, and thank you for reviewing!**

**Invader Abigail: I hope you enjoyed Wally's! Thank you for reviewing.**


	3. Conner

**Hello, guys! Another chapter. I apologize for not writing yesterday; I had a busy day. I'll be leaving again today, but I'll be back Thrusday, and after that I should be able to update every day. Enjoy!**

The team quieted. Artemis felt her heart pound. She knew she would have to go eventually. She couldn't hide any parts of herself, no matter how hard she tried. She kept her past a secret for so many years, and now it was going to fall apart.

She felt her muscles tensing as she prepared to stop forward.

"I'll do it."

She paused.

Superboy stepped forward stubbornly. Robin slowly walked out from behind him to stand beside Kid Flash. Superboy nodded to him, and Robin returned it.

Superboy took very slow steps, carefully observing the chamber. It obviously had no doors or windows. It was small, barely big enough for the heroes to move around comfortably without bumping into each other. In the center of the entire room was a raised platform, about 3 inches above the ground. It had red light around the rim of it, and it seemed to pulse with their heartbeats.

The walls seemed to go forever, but Superboy could easily see a ceiling. He knew the others couldn't see it. The walls weren't painted; they seemed to be alive. The colors slowly moved from a sea blue to a violet, and then to black. They would then heat back up.

He stepped onto the platform with his eyes already closed, breathing slower and deeper than normal.

In an instant, three forms appeared. One had narrowed eyes, and his teeth were bared threateningly. His muscles were bulging and he seemed ready to lunge at the heroes. Another was dressed casually in a light blue top that matched his eyes and jeans. He looked around contently. The next seemed very young, perhaps seven in human years. His eyes were large and lit up when he saw the group, and he relaxed with the innocence only seen in children.

Conner stepped off, wondering which he should show them first.

Robin appeared to see his confusion, and stepped towards the kid. "He's pretty adorable, Supes."

Superboy looked hard at the child. "I-I don't know who he is. I don't understand why he's so young."

Miss M hovered behind him. "You are pretty young, Conner. Maybe he represents that side of you."

Kid Flash nodded as well. "Yeah, like at Cadmus when you said you never saw the moon."

Conner nodded, supposing that made enough sense. "I think he also shows something else though. Something desperate."

"Most kids are desperate for approval. I was at that age," Artemis said. "I wanted people to see me and be proud. I think that's a big part of you; living up to the people you were designed after."

"Why would I want their approval when they don't care?" He asked angrily, looking hard at her.

"Con, human emotions don't have to make sense." She said, looking the other way.

Kid Flash gave a nervous chuckle and zoomed to the next one. "This one looks pretty nice. How about him?"

Superboy shrugged. "He's the civilian side, I guess."

"The one that wants to fit in and be accepted and live a normal life." Robin murmured thoughtfully. At Superboy's questioning look, he replied, "We all have a bit of it. Every hero has a part of them that wishes they could be normal like everyone else. Sometimes the hero part's stronger, and sometimes it isn't."

They all contemplated Robin's words for a few moments, nodding along or staring at the ground. Robin then broke it by walking toward the last one with little to no fear.

Superboy was quick to follow and protect him, along with the rest of the team. Although Robin was certainly capable, they knew he was young, and they were his protectors.

The image snarled and lunged, but was unable to go anywhere. The team still flinched and jumped, although Robin walked forward again after seeing he couldn't be injured. He supposed that was good when it came his turn.

"This is rage." Superboy frowned deeply. "It's the biggest part of me and the hardest to control."

Kid Flash threw an arm around him, even though he had to stretch, "Hey, Supes, you're doing great at it. Remember that plan you came up with last mission? That was brilliant, and there wasn't any rage in it."

Robin flipped onto his shoulder. "Yeah, Con. It worked out perfect. You controlled yourself, and it was a huge success."

"What if I can't control it?" The question slipped out through tight lips.

"Well, then we'll have to for you. We all get mad, Con. Every one of us. That's why we're a team- to help each other," Robin said, before tumbling down to his feet again.

Superboy moved toward the red light and stepped up to it. The projections disappeared, and he walked back to the group, keeping an almost worried eye on Robin, and hoping anyone would go before him since the bird seemed terrified of walking up there.

They all stared again, Robin disappearing in the shadows.


	4. Kaldur

**I want to thank everyone that reviewed/favorited/followed/read this story, and I'm so sorry I haven't been updating. I've had a busy couple of days, and I hope this is satisfying. I may be able to update again later, but no promises! Enjoy!**

Kaldur knew his responsibilities as a leader. He had to know how to bring out the best and worst in his team, their strengths and weaknesses, and although he knew he would never fully understand them, he learned certain expressions meant different things. With some, like Megan, her face was open. Every eyebrow lifted or eye narrowed was unbelievably obvious to what emotion she felt. However, with others, such as Robin and Artemis, he knew that their emotions were buried behind a mask, and he had to observe the smallest details to comprehend how they felt.

He assessed the team. Kid Flash was relieved, and Megan was as well. Superboy seemed lightly confused, but that could be attributed to anything in the room, from his team to the structure of the room. Artemis was biting her lip lightly, face blank and calm. Her fingers twitched as if trying to beat a rhythm, but she crushed the impulse quickly. Robin's face was completely blank- too blank. There was an almost invisible tilt of a frown. Neither of them wanted to go, and as a leader, Kaldur knew it fell to him.

He gave himself a quick assessment as well. His heart was beating a bit faster than usual, and his mouth felt somewhat dry. That would have to do, because he was going to protect his team members for at least a few moments.

His even steps seemed to echo quietly. Maybe it was because of the thick silence hanging over the room.

His eyes closed slowly.

And with the blink of an eye, there were three projections staring at each other.

One was surveying the room. He looked the same as Aqualad, and had an intelligent gleam in his eyes. The next was dressed in all black with red accents. His eyes were narrowed immensely, glaring at everything in the room. The last one was a normal teenager with a jacket. He had a relaxed smile on his face, and there were no gills visible.

Robin instantly went to the glaring image. The rest of the team hesitated for a few moments before following. "Hey, Kal, who's this?"

Kaldur stared hard at the black and red clad teen. "I do not know."

"I guess we don't always understand ourselves completely," Megan murmured, gently touching Kaldur's arm. "It's just part of being a teenager."

He nodded, still glancing warily at it.

As the team moved closer to the normal human Kaldur, Artemis stopped in front of the image. Her eyes narrowed dangerously, and her lips were pursed. She then moved on; the team didn't need to see her suspicious.

The next one grinned. The whole team seemed to relax at his attitude. "I've always wanted to be normal, in some part of me, just like the rest of the world." Aqualad muttered softly. Everyone heard him despite that, and all nodded in understanding.

The last one was neither smiling nor frowning. He just watched calmly. "This is my biggest part of me. It possesses leadership skills and respect." He said humbly.

"And he's smart, too," Wally tacked on.

"Calm, too. Even when we screw up missions spectacularly," Artemis added, giving Kaldur a slight smile.

The team stepped back and allowed Kaldur to step once more on the platform before coming to them.

"We have all done well," He stated immediately. "Opening up like this requires the greatest trust possible in a team, and I am glad to see it." He pivoted to Robin and Artemis. "We will not judge you."

The entire team glanced to the gleaming platform. It went unspoken; it was someone else's turn.


	5. Artemis

**I'm so sorry about not posting. I have some things going on in my family that's really stressing me out, so bear with me. I also have band camp starting tomorrow, so I really can't promise updates with all this going on. Pleas enjoy though!**

Artemis didn't know what it was like to have a sibling, not really. She had Jade, but they were dysfunctional at best. They didn't protect each other; they were both strong and independent now, and Artemis can't help but blame her father. Because every time she looks at Jade, she sees something that could've been: a bond between sisters. She looks at her and imagines how it would feel to be held after her latest nightmare, or Jade taking her with her when she ran away. Every single time she sees this, a burning fury ignites in her stomach then disappears moments later.

No, Artemis decides, she didn't know what having a sibling was supposed to be like. But she knew this odd feeling in her heart had to be related to it.

She didn't want to go. Her past was shady at best, and terrifying at worst. Her mouth was dry and her knees shook. But with one look at Robin, she knew she was going next, if only to protect him for a moment. To most of the team, he was fine. Slightly wary, but fine. She was trained to see everything about a person in a glance, though. She knew he was nervous. It was in his tense muscles that were partially relaxed, and in the sweat even the bird couldn't completely control.

So she kept a calm demeanor as she walked to the pedestal, her heart thumping along with her steps. She surveyed the room quickly before closing her eyes, although she admittedly was focused more on Robin than the others.

Three figures appeared, and Artemis snapped her eyes open as soon as she closed them. While she knew they couldn't actually attack, she knew that at least one aspect of her would attempt to. And sure enough, an imposing figure in black and burnt orange was beating whatever barrier kept her back.

Although Robin was brave (as he had to be in Gotham), he didn't step forward this time. He hesitated, staring into the angry girl's eyes. His legs almost froze. Although he knew Artemis's past, he wasn't alarmed. He was scared that his dark side would be similar- beating the shield with all he had to attack and destroy.

However, when his eyes slid away, they focused on Artemis, who was biting her lip and staring solely at the team now, and he forced his numb legs to move themselves slowly yet surely.

The team followed with wide eyes. Megan was grasping Superboy's arm, and Kid Flash had a tight grip on Robin's cape, which almost made Artemis roll her eyes and laugh, if she wasn't petrified by what they would say.

"My father was Sportsmaster," she blurts out. Her heart stops after she says it, and her brain freezes as well. Her hands go cold along with her legs. "He raised me to be an assassin. I didn't agree with him."

Kid Flash wasn't by any means very fond of Artemis. Sure, he enjoyed their banner, but when it came down to it, he barely knew her. So he was surprised when he found his arm wrapping around her. "I'd say that was a good choice."

Robin put on his best grin to calm her down, and he began compiling something to help her relax. "Superboy was built as a weapon. Miss M isn't from this world. Kaldur isn't from land. I, well, you'll see soon enough. We all probably shouldn't have ended up doing what we do. The odds were against us. But here we are, and I'd say we all made some very bad and very good choices to get us here. Let's just enjoy where we are right now, and not worry about what we can't change."

They all murmured some form of agreement, and moved away from the aggressive assassin.

Next was the Artemis they knew, although in a school uniform, with a quiver over her shoulder and holding her bow. "My Mom was what made me go to Gotham Academy. She never got to do much with my father making all of her decisions for her. When I got an offer, I took it for her. I had to be more though. I had skills, and I could use them to help people. I had to do it. My Mom supported me, even though she worried about me."

"You go to Gotham Academy?" Kid Flash asked, eyes flickering over in less than a nanosecond to Robin before focusing on Artemis again.

"Yeah, why?"

"I know a person there."

"Let's move on!" Robin interjected cheerfully, stepping over to the next image. "You were a cute kid, Arty."

She frowned. "I wasn't much of a kid."

"So this was when your childhood ended," Megan proposed.

"I guess so. This looks about when my sister left. She ran away and left me when our father. I begged her to take me." Artemis's eyes became distant in a memory, remembering her whole being wanting to leave that place forever.

"You have a sister?" Kaldur asked.

"You'd know her as Cheshire. She went into the family business," she bit out, eyes narrowed.

The team tried to think of something to say, but no one thought of anything useful, so they just walked away in silence. Artemis felt her body relax as she realized they were finished. She stepped back onto the raised platform, and closed her eyes, feeling an odd sensation of something being returned to her.

Her eyes opened slowly, and she walked as slowly as possible to the team. Robin looked almost sick now. While she tried to make it unobtrusive, she gently squeezed his arm as she passed.

"Your turn, Rob," Kid Flash said, giving him a supportive smirk, though it was gloomy.

Robin took a deep breath.

**And I just wanted to thank all the reviewers. If you have read/favorited/followed/reviewed this story, I am very grateful. I really like constructive critism, as long as it isn't rude, so please leave a review. It gets me more motivated! ;)**


	6. Robin

**I'm so sorry for taking so long. Luckily my family issues are over, and I'm ready to write again. I just want to apologize for taking so long, and thank everyone for your support. Please enjoy, and I hope I didn't disappoint you too badly!**

Robin's legs were shaking hard. He cursed himself for convincing Bruce to let him do this, and himself for seeing the logic in doing this. It felt like an eternity while walking to the platform, but Dick knew his mind was tricking itself; it was only moments.

His boots made no sound as he advanced. His eyes slowly closed behind the mask as his heart stuttered.

He almost heard the hum of magic as he rubbed a hand against his chest. It felt slightly empty, but not completely. His eyes flashed open as he heard the gasps.

Everyone's eyes was located solely on the one clothed in black with a cloak of feathers. His eyes were tainted steel behind the black a quick scan, Robin located at least 12 knives, two of which were in his hands and were slashing violently at the barrier. Robin's throat almost closed.

"Rob...who _is_ that?" Someone choked out.

"That's me if I wasn't taken in by Batman." The cold statement frosted the atmosphere. The owl smirked.

"I'm. Talon." His voice seemed distorted and scratchy. It seemed to hurt him to speak; his fists clenched.

Robin took a deep breath, preparing himself mentally. "I was meant to become an assassin. We visited Gotham, when I was a kid. They took interest; we were warned that I was going to be taken and trained when I turned 10."

"Who's they?"

"The Court of Owls." Wally and Artemis's face paled dramatically, while the other's morphed into confusion.

Artemis shifted forward slightly. "How...how did you get out of that?"

"I was orphaned and taken in by Batman. Not many people would go against the Dark Knight." The sentence was clipped, and his face was blank, but everyone heard a tremor or two in there.

"I don't understand," Kaldur murmured. "Who is this Court of Owls?"

Robin gestured to Artemis and Kid Flash. Artemis turned to the others. "Some of the old families of Gotham use their money to control some aspects of it. They use money and murder. They get their assassins by kidnapping them from circuses."

Kid Flash picked it up in a low voice, "There's a nursery rhyme. _Beware the court of owls, that watches all the_ _time._"

Artemis continued, "_Ruling Gotham from a shadowed perch, behind granite and lime."_

_ "They watch you at your hearth, they watch you in your bed, speak not a whispered word about them, or they'll send the Talon for your head."_ Robin finished in a whisper.

A tense silence settled on the team, broken by Megan's quiet question. "Who's the Talon?"

"That. Would. Be. Me." The black clad villain sneered.

Kid Flash let out a nervous chuckle and muttered, "Well, I'm glad you're a good guy, Rob," and led him to the next person.

This one was also the same age as Robin. He wore a black, skintight suit with a red bird on his chest. He had muscles lining his arms and legs, along with a large grin and messy black hair. His eyes were unmasked, revealing a deep blue color that reminded the team of different things. Artemis saw the ocean, and Wally saw the sky.

"I lived in the circus as a kid. As soon as I was walking, I was flipping. I started performing with my parents when I was four." Robin let a fond smile cross him face.

_ A young boy quickly tumbled into his mother. "Do I really get to do it with you? Do I?" His light voice filled their trailer, making it seem to glow._

_ The mother's face shone as she gently picked up her son. "You sure do, Dickie, you sure do." _

_ His father entered the home to an armful of excitement and nerves. "Momma says I get to fly with you!"_

_ A smile appeared on his face. "Yep, you're flying with us. Do you have your costume?"_

_ The four year old giggled and disappeared into his room, a grin almost splitting his face._

_ The boy, now a year older, entered the trailer quietly. He knew his mother sang when she washed the dishes, and he enjoyed her voice almost as much as flying. He hid himself behind a wall, hearing her hum and slowly form words._

_ "I'll fly away, old glory, I'll fly away," her soprano filled up the home, "When I die, hallelujah by and by, I'll fly away..."_

_ The summer sun seemed to light her hair on fire and make her amber eyes glitter. Dick slowly eased himself beside her, singing along, "I'll fly away, oh glory..."_

"When did they die?"

The question startled him out of his treasured memories. His eyes burned for a moment before it abated.

"A man came to the circus. He demanded some money, and we refused to pay him. That night, my parents performed; they were the trapeze act. I was about to jump when the wire snapped, and we never performed with a net. I watched them fall, and then I was sent to juvie for a few weeks until Batman got me."

Although the others didn't notice, Artemis's eyes narrowed on the acrobat's nails. They had blood crusted underneath them. She decided not to ask any more questions.

"I still have some posters. We were called the Flying Graysons."

Wally gently pulled him into a hug, and didn't say anything or let go until he felt his shirt dry and Robin's fingers let go of his jacket. Megan then pulled him close and kissed his forehead affectionately. Finally Artemis ruffled his hair as they moved on to the last one.

Robin felt his airways clear. This one was Robin, with a mask and cape. An almost transparent picture flickered over him, appearing to be wearing a suit and a charming smile.

"This is what you guys see, I guess. Robin as I am now, not who I could be. I love the thrill, the adrenaline, stopping kids from ending up like me."

The image's eyes shimmered behind the mask with a sharp, intelligent gleam while an easy grin rested on its faced. "Ah, there's no way to talk about this with a secret identity, and I bet you've already guessed, Mis."

"We'll laugh about it later?" Artemis smirked, reaching out to gently smack his shoulder.

"Yeah," he chuckled, "Basically, I'm Richard Grayson, and Batman's gonna be pissed I told you, so please keep it on the down low."

Artemis's eyes widened. "Batman's Bruce Wayne?"

"I'm not allowed to answer that."

"He is."

"Wally!"

Megan gently tugged Robin over to her and away from Wally and Artemis. "So you have to go to those high society balls?"

Robin shrugged. "Sometimes Batman makes me. It's not as fun as it sounds. It's all fake kindness and complimenting each other while preparing to destroy their social standing."

Wally frowned. "How many people have you ruined?"

"Batman says I'm not allowed to ruin people until I turn 18. If I was 18, I could destroy almost all of them."

Conner clicked his tongue and gestured to Wally. "Why does he already know your secret identity?"

Wally grinned with an arm around Robin. "We were friends before the team. A few weeks ago Batman said I could know."

"He never actually said that."

"So he could plotting my death right now to keep your identities a secret?"

"Wals, have you met the Bat? He already plotted everyone's death on the league. Including mine and his own."

"That makes me feel better in no way."

"Meh. You asked."

Artemis gulped and started pushing Robin towards the platform, while whispering in his ear, "Please tell me you have good control over the Talon."

"Mis, you really think I could act the way I do if I was planning to kill you?"

"Yes."

"Point taken. But I won't, just so your know. I've lost enough family."

She gave him a hug so quick he barely felt it before she was walking off. He shook his head as he jumped onto the platform, watching the images zoom right back into his chest, which slightly freaked him out.

They stood together for a few moments before Kaldur asked, "Shouldn't we be waking up?"

Megan sighed. "I don't know what's taking so long. I swear I'm not over it guys, I watched my emotions the whole time..."

Wally shrugged, "Megs, we don't blame you. They should have considered your powers before pulling us in that time, but now you've got better control. And we know it's not real."

Robin sat down. "Might as well. It could be awhile."

The whole team sat down together, Artemis's head laying on Wally's legs, and Robin resting his head on her stomach (he almost got pushed off, but she just messed his hair up. Again.). Megan and Superboy leaned against each other with Kaldur allowing Artemis's feet to rest in his lap. They were all jumbled up together and relaxing with the knowledge it was over. (Almost.)


	7. Cookies

**So this is the final chapter, and it's kind of bittersweet. And I realized I haven't been putting disclaimers. *facepalm* Please enjoy and review!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything. At all.**

Their eyes blinked quickly to adjust to the harsh light in the cave. Their mentors were there within seconds with a hand outstretched or knelt beside them, asking how they were and assessing their health. A dark glove was suddenly in Robin's vision.

Robin slowly stretched stiff muscles before taking it and being lifted. He continued stretching (though the others were surprised; his stretching was a bit extreme), noticing his joints were aching slightly and cold. "How long were we out?"

"Several hours," Batman replies, scanning his bird for injuries or trauma. Although he knows that Robin was safe (he watched him and the others for a few of those hours) physically, he remembered how uncomfortable Robin had been before. He finally told Batman how the others died, and how he was the leader and he was so scared when he died; Batman was understandably worried. Moments later, Robin confessed he didn't want to be Batman anymore. Batman was never more relieved than right there, holding his strong bird in his arms in the dim light of the cave, knowing his son wouldn't be like him.

"How did it go?" Batman's voice is so low, Robin had to read his lips.

His chest rose with a deep inhale. "Better than expected."

"Good."

He is suddenly swept into a hug by Megan, who seemed to be hugging everyone. Artemis appeared by his side after being embraced as well. She ruffled his hair and grinned, "I expect you to help me with math, Mathlete."

He groans. "Arty, I only have a few hours in a day."

She smacks his arm, and he grins, because this is normal and everything will be fine. Not like the other time.

"I'm going to go with Megan. Maybe if I'm there we can have edible cookies." And she sweeps away, smile tugging at her lips.

Wally zooms over, and again, he's in someone's arms. Except this time it's bridal style. "Argh! Put me down!"

The position was bad enough, but then Wally started spinning. "Relax, Robs! We're getting food soon and we all lived!"

"Just this once, everybody lives!" Robin whispers to himself.

Conner's heard perked up. "What did you say?"

He repeated himself, confused.

"That was off Doctor Who."

"Yeah! Supey, I never pictured you as a Whovian! Feeling the aster!"

And soon Wally is geeking out with Superboy and him (and Kaldur is now going to forced to watch with them, and maybe the girls) about the TARDIS and their favorite doctors and companions.

Batman watches them, and lets a smirk settle on his face. His son is happy (he can tell by the way his eyes are lit up), and he has people around he trusts like family. He would have what Bruce didn't, and Bruce could only hope that Dick was completely different from him. He leaves, allowing the team to watch over his bird.

As he walks away, he hears Megan call, "Cookies are ready!"

They all clamber to get some ("OW! HOT HOT HOT!" "What did you expect, Kid Idiot?"), and he hears Robin cackling gleefully (he really needed to talk to him about that). He knows everything is perfect for his bird. And just this once, everyone's happy.


End file.
